Long-term cost-effectiveness of transcatheter versus surgical closure of secundum atrial septal defect in adults.

BACKGROUND: The most common congenital anomaly in adults is secundum, which can be closed using a surgical or transcatheter approach. Despite the growing use of transcatheter ASD closure, few studies have examined the cost-effectiveness of this strategy. We sought to compare the long-term cost effectiveness of transcatheter and surgical closure of secundum in adults. METHODS: A decision-analytic model was used with all clinical outcome parameter estimates obtained from the province-wide Québec Congenital Heart Disease Database. Costs were obtained from a single academic centre (Canadian dollars). A cost-effectiveness analysis using a discrete event Monte Carlo simulation model from the perspective of a single third party payer and multiple sensitivity analyses were performed. Patients were followed for a maximum of 5 years after ASD closure. RESULTS: Between l998 and 2005, we identified 718 adults (n=335 transcatheter; n=383 surgical) who underwent ASD closure in Quebec. The 5-year cost of surgical closure was $15,304 SD $4581 versus $11,060 SD $5169 for the transcatheter alternative. At 5 years, transcatheter closure was marginally more effective than surgery (4.683 SD 0.379 life-years versus 4.618 SD 0.638 life-years). Probabilistic sensitivity analyses demonstrated that transcatheter ASD closure was a dominant strategy with an 80% probability of cost savings and equal or greater efficacy compared to surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: Although definitive conclusions are limited given the observational nature of the primary data sources, transcatheter ASD closure appeared to be a cost-effective strategy associated with slightly improved clinical outcomes and reduced costs compared to surgical closure at 5-years follow-up.

The cost-effectiveness of Maze procedures using ablation techniques at the time of mitral valve surgery.

BACKGROUND: The classic cut and sew surgical Maze procedure has been shown to reduce atrial fibrillation (AF), and recently newer surgical ablation techniques with reduced technical complexity have been introduced. This study sought to systematically review the efficacy and safety of these newer techniques and to evaluate their long-term cost-effectiveness at the time of scheduled mitral valve (MV) surgery. METHODS: A systematic literature search and meta-analysis was performed to generate the most reliable efficacy and safety parameter estimates for a Markov decision analysis model comparing MV surgery alone to MV surgery plus an ablation Maze procedure. Both basic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Based on the six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) identified, the pooled 1-year estimate of AF after surgery alone was 71 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 64 percent to 78 percent). The pooled risk ratio of AF after surgical ablation treatment at the time of mitral valve surgery relative to valve surgery alone was 0.33 (95 percent CI, 0.19 to 0.55). The pooled analyses showed that no statistical significant increases in operative mortality, permanent pacemaker implantation, and postoperative bleeding with the ablative Maze procedures. An ablation-based Maze procedure at the time of mitral valve surgery had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $4,446CAD ($3,850US) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) compared with valve surgery alone. Specifically costs were an extra $900CAD but with improved clinical outcomes (0.20 QALYs), including a prolonged life expectancy of 0.10 life-years. In one-way sensitivity analyses, survival time after MV surgery had the largest impact on ICER. Other variables influencing the ICER included the risk ratio of AF, utility, and cost estimates. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis suggests that 58.1 percent, 73.9 percent, and 89.3 percent of the simulations of the Maze strategy are cost-effective at willingness to pay thresholds of $20,000, $50,000, and $100,000CAD per QALY gained, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis suggests that a Maze surgical ablation procedure at the time of MV surgery is associated with a reduced postoperative AF risk. Our economic model further suggests that the surgical ablation strategy at the time of mitral valve surgery is likely a cost-effective intervention, provided patients have a good long-term postsurgical prognosis.